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How We Allow Fear Run Our Lives
Fear. It is a human emotion emotion triggered by a perceived threat, with “perceived” being the operative word, whether the threat is real or imagined. It is a basic survival mechanism that signals the fight, flight, or freeze response in our brains. By sending signals to the hypothalamus, this response stimulates the autonomic nervous system (ANS). It can’t discern whether you’re being followed in a dark parking lot, or afraid of something you heard on the news.
Fear is based on our mind’s projections into the future. Its a mental invention and experience of a reality that doesn’t and may never exist. We create terrifying story lines and rehearse them over and over again in our minds to the point that we begin to actually believe them. By watching the incessant coverage on the COVID-19 on the news and discussing it with friends; posting about it on social media; getting into heated discussions, and seeing people wearing mask everywhere you go, that fear becomes more and more real. Being afraid of what may or may not happen can only potentially perpetuate it. It’s easy to amplify something negative by simply reacting to it.
Think of your fears like this: Say you have a dream that you were in a terrible car accident. You wake up and think: “Phew! It was only a dream!” You feel a great sense of relief because you don’t have to deal with any injuries, car insurance…
